Episode
FICO’s Monopoly is Fading & Consumers Are the Winners w/ Kelsey Zhu | The Real Eisman Playbook Ep 59
- Podcast
- The Real Eisman Playbook
- Published
- May 11, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4469
- Processing state
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Summary
On episode 59 of The Real Eisman Playbook, Steve Eisman sits down with Kelsey Zhu of Autonomous to discuss the collapse of FICO's decades-long monopoly on credit scores and what it means for homebuyers, lenders, and investors. Kelsey breaks down how FICO raised its mortgage score pricing from 60 cents to $10 per pull and why that aggressive pricing opened the door for Vantage. They also explore the broader financial data sector and discuss how AI is reshaping the competitive landscape for every company in the group. 00:00 - The Real Eisman Playbook Premium 02:20 - Intro 04:35 - An Overview of the FICO Situation 13:40 - Destroying a Monopoly 20:05 - FICO vs Vantage Pricing 27:42 - The Credit Bureaus 30:39 - Kelsey's Call with a Private Mortgage Lender 35:09 - Outside the Mortgage Industry 37:00 - Going Back to the Price Increase 38:06 - Monopolies vs Duopolies 40:11 - Good & Bad Business Models 45:15 - Businesses of the Credit Bureaus 49:23 - How AI Factors In 51:20 - Verisk's Business Model 54:10 - MSCI 59:03 - FactSet 1:03:25 - Summarizing the FICO Situation & Lessons Learned 1:03:32 - Outro Visit https://realeismanplaybook.com/ to sign up for our mailing list. Subscribe 👉🏻https://www.youtube.com/@RealEismanPlaybook?sub_confirmation=1 Connect with Steve Eisman and access all things The Eisman Playbook: 🌐 https://linktr.ee/realeismanplaybook → Follow on socials, watch episodes, and get the latest updates — all in one place. Disclaimer: The financial opinions expressed are for information purposes only. The opinions expressed by the hosts and participants are not an attempt to influence specific trading behavior, investments, or strategies. Past performance does not necessarily predict future outcomes. No specific results or profits are assured when relying on this cont…